NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Omegle, a video chat service that connects users with strangers at random, is shutting down after 14 years following ample misuse of the platform 鈥� particularly the sexual abuse of minors.
In a announcing the site's closure, founder Leif K-Brooks reflected on how Omegle was meant to connect people worldwide and 鈥渂uild on the things I loved about the Internet." But, he added that a dark side of the platform emerged.
鈥淰irtually every tool can be used for good or for evil,鈥� Brooks wrote. 鈥淭here can be no honest accounting of Omegle without acknowledging that some people misused it, including to commit unspeakably heinous crimes.鈥�
Over the years, Omegle has faced significant scrutiny for becoming what some say is a and other abuse. The site's closure arrives about a week after Omegle settled a lawsuit that accused the platform of pairing a then 11-year-old user with a sexual predator, according to .
The , which was filed in an Oregon court in 2021, is a piece of a long chain of similar litigation that Omegle has faced. According to , the platform has been mentioned in more than 50 cases against pedophiles in the last two years.
鈥淥perating Omegle is no longer sustainable, financially nor psychologically,鈥� Brooks wrote. 鈥淔rom the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who used Omegle for positive purposes, and to everyone who contributed to the site鈥檚 success in any way. I鈥檓 so sorry I couldn鈥檛 keep fighting for you.鈥�
Brooks founded Omegle in 2009 at the age of 18. In addition to claiming millions of daily users over the years, recordings of Omegle videos are shared widely on YouTube and social media platforms like TikTok.
As of Thursday morning, the Omegle website remained live with Brooks' statement, but its online video chat function was no longer visible.
The Associated Press
